Evaporative coolers are used for cooling residences and commercial buildings in warm, dry climates such as the southwestern portion of the United States. The conventional evaporative cooler, which is normally mounted on the roof of the building, includes a housing that contains a blower that draws air into the housing through one or more inlets and discharges the air to the area to be cooled. The inlets are enclosed by evaporative pads and water, from a reservoir, is continuously flowed downwardly over the pads. The evaporation of the water produces a cooling effect to cool the air being drawn into the building.
As the water is being continuously evaporated, scale formation is a problem, particularly in areas of hard water, with the result that the pads must be frequently cleaned to maintain the efficiency of the cooler. However, as most evaporative coolers are located on the roof in a relatively inaccessable location, and as the roof may be subjected to extreme heat during the summer, maintenance of the pads is frequently neglected with the result that the efficiency of the cooling operation is greatly reduced.
As a further problem, algae and bacteria can collect in the reservoir of the cooler resulting in foul odors being transmitted to the building as well as constituting a potential health hazard.